Chalmers Bakery Bucksburn: £1m flats project at Aberdeen site

For generations of Aberdonians, the Chalmers Bakery in Bucksburn was a beloved spot.

The company was founded in March 1956 by Sheila Chalmers and her husband Ronald, and was the place to go for a treat for decades.

But the final rowies were served up about five years ago, and the Auchmill Road shop was later demolished.

Ron Chalmers and his daughter Pamela Rait with some of the gateaux and cheesecakes outside his shop at Bucksburn in 1983. Image: DC Thomson

Students (from left), Fergus Meiklejohn, Andy Pattullo and Joanne Davidson, tuck into the world’s largest buttery, watched by Ron Chalmers (right) and his son John who made the buttery at Chalmers in 1996. Image: DC Thomson

For some time, the site has been left as a rubble-strewn wasteland.

But now, work to bring it back to life is under way.

What is happening at old Chalmers Bakery site in Bucksburn?

When the owners retired, the Auchmill Road premises was put up for sale for £135,000.

The Bucksburn mainstay was bought by developer Cater Group, whose main office is based nearby on Great Northern Road.

The bakery shortly before it was demolished. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

It was in early 2020 that plans to build flats at the site just off the A96 first emerged.

These proposals were approved in June 2021, and the demolition took place months later at a cost of £30,000.

Cater said the shop needed torn down as continuing it as a retail unit was “unlikely” to succeed.

They added: “The proposed residential use would be an advantage to local businesses, and provide much-needed, high quality residential stock to Aberdeen.”

Work is finally taking place beyond these bright blue hoardings… Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Work has started at the Chalmers Bakery site in Bucksburn. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

How will the flats look?

With the risk of permission lapsing after three years, construction work has now started on the 17 flats planned for the old Chalmers Bakery factory and shop in Bucksburn.

The three-storey building will have a garden to the front and its own rooftop terrace.

Building documents indicate the flats will cost £1.4 million to erect.

A blueprint outlining the future plans. Image: Neil Rothnie Architecture

This is how the new homes will rise from the rubble. Image: Neil Rothnie Architecture

Do you have fond memories of the Chalmers Bakery in Bucksburn? Let us know in our comments section below

The Auchmill Road plot was listed on the Scottish Government’s list of vacant and derelict sites this year – though planning experts said it had potential to be developed in the short term.

The new development will be known as Auchmill Gardens, and it’s expected to be completed by late 2025.

You can see the plans for Bucksburn flats at the Chalmers Bakery site here.